University to return remains of police bombing victims after 36 years

A University of Pennsylvania Museum has vowed to return the remains of a black victim of Philadelphia police bombings, in 1985, to the relatives, amid backlash that they were being used in an online college course.

Penn Provost Wendell Pritchett and Penn Museum Director Christopher Woods in a statement apologized to the relatives of the victims for their “profound emotional distress” and promised to return them around 36 years later.

“We understand the importance of reuniting this with the family… this is our goal and we remain committed to respectful, consultative resolution,” the joint statement read.

Some of the remains were used by Dr. Janet Monge, for her course, “REAL BONES: an adventure in anthropology”, which is an online class offered by Princeton University, as per Woods.

Monge, who works as a curator for the University of Pennsylvania’s anthropology department, has been suspended.

The remains – a pelvis and femur – were brought in by Alan Mann, who was hired by Philadelphia’s medical examiner’s office, as reported by the Inquirer columnist.

The remains were kept in Penn’s possession until Mann took them to its new role at Princeton in 2001. They were returned to Penn in 2016, as per Mann.

Members of MOVE, a black eco-liberalization group, believe that the remains belong to Katricia Doston, a 14-year-old girl, killed in a police bombing on May 13, 1985.

“Right now we are so angry and hurt that we haven’t talked to anybody,” Janine Africa, spokesperson for MOVE, stated in a statement. “We don’t what we will be feeling and what will come out of this until we sit and talk.”

Princeton’s anthropology department released a statement wherein it says that they should have studied a little more about Mann’s research, who retired in 2015.

“Princeton University extends its apology to the Africa family for the use of the remains in courses offered by the Princeton,” Christopher Eisgruber, Princeton’s president, said in a statement.